(Boise) – E-book buyers in Idaho could begin receiving account credits or checks this week as part of a settlement reached in a price fixing lawsuit with publishers, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said.

The antitrust case was filed against Apple, Inc., along with five of the six biggest E-book publishers in the nation. Those E-Book publishers, including Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers, LLC, Simon & Schuster, Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC, and Penguin Group (USA) Inc, settled their claims for a total nationwide payment of $166 million. Wasden says Idahoans will be credited approximately $800,000 from the settlement.

"These settlements have a dual effect of bringing restitution for Idaho consumers and readers who were forced to pay higher prices for E-books and restoring competition in the marketplace," Wasden said.

For consumers, getting an account credit or check will be based on the number of eligible E-books purchased during a specific claims period, from April 1, 2010 through May 21, 2012. Eligible consumers should review their email for communications from their E-book retailer, or from the Settlement Administrator, regarding account credits or checks. For more settlement information, consumers should visit: www.ebookagsettlements.com.

Apple declined to join the settlement involving the publishers and was convicted in a three-week trial in June 2013. In her decision, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, of the Southern District of New York, concluded that Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing a conspiracy to eliminate retail price competition in hopes of raising E-book prices, in violation of state and federal antitrust laws.

A second trial to determine the amount of damages Apple should pay is scheduled for later this year.

"Consumers are entitled to a fair, open and competitive marketplace," Wasden said. "When a company is found to have violated the antitrust laws, as Apple did here, consumers who have suffered as a consequence are entitled to compensation."